Water-motor



w. R. MORRIS,

WATER MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED OCT 12, I920.

rammed May 10, 1921.

W, R. MORRIS.

I WATER MOTOR.

APPUCATION FILED OCT i2, I920- LSTFJHQB Patented May 1%., 1921,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

abtoza ucn n n i r WILLIAM nor ivronnrs, or BOISE, IDAHG, ASSIGNOB TOTHE nivrvnnsan ENGINEER.- ING AND rower. COMPANY, BOISE, inane, Aconroiserron or rnnno.

WATER-MUTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16*, 1921..

Application filed October 12, 1920. Serial No. 416,435.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, l VILLIAM R. lvlonnrs a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Boise, in the county of Ada and State of l daho,have invented certain new and useful improvements in Water-Motors, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in water motors and the principalobject of the invention is to provide mechanism which may be placed in aflowing stream and take advantage of the current of the water for thepurpose of generating power.

The primary object of the invention is to furnish the water motor withimpeller blades which are so constructed and arranged as to obtainmaximum power from the flowing stream with a minimum of friction.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism fortransmitting the power obtained by the impellers to any suitable placewhere said power is to be utilized.

A. still further object is to furnish a water motor with improved meansfor raising and lowering the impeller shafts so that the impellers maybe placed in the most advantageous positions to take advantage of thepassing current. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide improved thrust bearingsfor taking up the thrust exerted by the impeller shafts so that saidshafts may freely turn with a minimum of friction.

With the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in view whichwill appear as the description proceeds the invention consists in thenovel features hereinafter de scribed in detail, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of my improved motor.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an end view.

Fig. l is a detail sectional view taken on the line 44L of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of my improved thrustbearings.

In the drawings, 1 represents a main or stationary frame which in thepresent instance consists of vertical posts 2; side bars 3; end bars aand brace rods 5.

The vertical posts 2 are preferably supported on stone or concrete piers6 which are built upon the bed of the stream and each of the posts 2 ispreferably formed of channeliron as shown. Mounted in the frame 1 is avertically adjustable frame 7 having end cross bars 8 which have theirends slidably mounted in the channels of the corner posts 2 of the mainframe.

The adjustable frame 7 is provided with a plurality of verticallydisposed stationary threaded bars 9, the threaded portions of which passthrough plates 10 carried by the upper bars of the stationary frame.Resting on the plates 10 are ears 11 having internal screw threads whichengage the thread portions of the bars 9. The gears 11 mesh with wormgears 12 fixed to longitudinally disposed shafts 13 which are mounted atthe upper portion of the stationary'frame. The front ends of the shafts13 are provided with miter gears 14 which mesh with similar gears 15fixed to the ends of cross shafts 16. The inner ends of said crossshafts are provided with miter gears 17 which are engaged by a similargear 18 that may be driven by a handle placed on the squared portion 19of the shaft 20 which carries said gear 18.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that rotation ofthe shaft 20 causes rotation of the shafts 16-16 in opposite directionsand rotation of the shafts 13 in similar directions and the worm gears12 are so disposed as to cause movement of the gears 11 tosimultaneously elevate all of the bars 9 and with it the movable frame7. it will thus be seen that the adjustable frame may be elevated orlowered to a position most desirable for taking advantage of the currentof the stream.

The adjustable frame is provided with a pair of parallel shafts 21 eachof which has its forward end rotatably mounted in one of the cross barsof the adjustable frame and its rearward end provided with one half 22of a thrust bearing 23, the other half 2% of the thrust bearing beingsecured to one of the cross bars of the adjustable frame.

Each shaft is provided with pairs of protially semi-circular shape andthat the two blades of each propeller are arranged at substantiallyright angles to each other. It will also be noted that the lateral edges27 of the blades overlap each other.

The propeller of the opposite shafts extend in opposite directions toeach other. In other words, the thread or pitch formed by the propellerson one shaft is arranged in a direction opposite to the thread or pitchformed by the propellers on the other shaft and in consequence thepropellers on the two shafts cooperate through the medium of the waterpassing between the same and in consequence maximum efficiency isobtained by the relative arrangement of the propellers of the twoshafts.

It will be noted that the outer edges of the blades are connectedtogether by reinforcing bars 28 which function to tie the bladestogether and relieve the same of thrust from the water which wouldotherwise damage the blades unless they were made particularly heavy.

Each of the shafts 21 is provided with a fixed worm gear 29 and theseworm gears operate gears 30 mounted upon the lower ends of shafts 31which are carried by the adjustable frame and have miter gears 32 attheir upper ends. lhese miter gears operate similar gears 33 fixed to ashaft 34 from which the power may be taken by any suitable means.

From the foregoing I believe that the'construction and operation of myimproved mechanism will be readily understood by those skilled in theart and I am aware that various changes may be made in the constructionshown without departing from the spirit of the invention asdisclosed inthe annexed claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. A water motor including a stationary frame having corner postsprovided with guiding means, a vertically adjustable frame having endmembers engaging said guiding means for guiding the adjustable framevertically, and means for raising and lowering said adjustable frameincluding a plurality of threaded rods fixed to the adjustable frame andextending above the stationary frame, gears having internal threadsengaging the threaded portions of said rods, a plurality of parallelshafts extending longitudinally of the stationary frame and providedwith gears which engage the other gears, a plurality of cross shaftshaving gears" at their outer ends, gears provided upon the ends of thelongitudinally disposed shafts and engaging the gears of the crossshafts, gears provided upon the inner ends of said cross shafts, acommon gear for driving the last named gears, and manually operatedmeans for driving said common gear.

2. A motor of the kind defined by claim 1 in which the adjustable frameis provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending propellershafts, propellers mounted upon said shafts, andthrust bearings fortaking up the thrust exerted by said shafts.

3. A motor of the kind defined by claim 1 in which the adjustable framecarries a plurality of propeller shafts, series of propellers mountedupon each of said shafts, and each propeller consisting of two blades,one of which is arranged substantially at right angles to the other,said blades being of substantially semicircular form and the radialedgesof one blade overlapping the radial edges of the other blade.

' 4. A motor of the kind defined by claim 1 in which the adjustableframe is provided with a plurality of shafts, series of pro pellersarranged uponeach of said shafts, each of said propellers consisting ofa plurality of blades arranged at substantially right angles to eachother, the blades of the propellers of the opposite shafts formingsubstantially screws, and the threads of one screw being of a pitchopposite to that of the thread of the other screw.

5. A motor of the kind defined by claim 1 in which the adjustable frameis provided with a plurality of parallel shafts, propellers mounted uponeach of said shafts, and means for transmitting power from said shafts.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM ROY MORRIS.

@errection in Letters Patent No. 1,377,719.

It is hereby certified that the assignee in Letters Patent No.1,377,719, granted of Boise, Idaho, for an The May 10, 1921, upon theapplication of William Roy Morris, improvement in Water-Motors, waserroneously described and specified as Universal Engineering and PowerCompany, Whereas said assignee should have been described and specifiedas The Universal Engineering Construction and Power Company, as shown bythe records of assignments in this ofiice; and that the said LettersPatent should be read with this correction therein that the same mayconform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 2d day of August, A. D., 1921.

[SEAL] KARL FENNING,

- Acting Commissioner of Patents.

